2 Corinthians 1: God of All Comfort

God of All Comfort

Life can be very hard at times. We all have problems of one kind or another. Whether it is health or relational, we all have problems. During these problems one thing that we need is comfort. We can want it from people and when it doesn't come we seek it from food or drugs or distractions. That is not real comfort when we distract ourselves. Yes, people can help but we also need to go to the Source and the Creator, God. 

In 2 Corinthians 1:3-7, Paul mentions the word comfort 10 times. Listening to it on audio makes me understand that it was important where when reading I could have skimmed over it without even thinking. Paul says that God comforts us in all our afflictions so that we may comfort others. Paul says while we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings we also share in comfort. Paul's point seems to be unity that what he felt from God was allowing him to help others feel the same. If God comforts Paul and the apostles and disciples then he can use that and help others feel comforted.

Also, Paul wanted to correct the accusations against him. He was accused of meaning one thing and saying the other. His example of Jesus being the Son of God and not just some guy and validating God's promises through Christ. God's son was not some guy, but was Jesus and we find truth in God's promises through Christ and his life (2 Corinthians 1:20).

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Luke 1- God's Promises

God's Promises

I have seen in my own life how God's promises do hold true. I was reflecting yesterday on how one thing that seems horrible at one point can be an absolute blessing years letter in retrospect.

In treading through Luke 1, I kept seeing something pop up. It was God's word holding firm and being true. God said something and it became true. In verse 13 an angel of the Lord came to Zechariah (father to be of John the Baptist) and told him his prayers had been answered and he and his wife, Elizabeth, would bear a son. Zechariah did not believe the angel (Gabriel) and for that was made mute (verses 18-20) until the birth of John.

Gabriel is the same angel that also told Mary (mother of Jesus) that she would give birth to a son even though she was a virgin. In verses 26-33, so much information is given about Jesus from not only his name but to how he will live.

In verses 62-64, as John was born, many were saying that he should be named after his father Zechariah, but he wrote on a tablet that "His name is John" which released his inability to speak. That is exactly what Gabriel said before that the inability to speak would last until John was born due to Zechariah's unbelief.

The thing I love about this chapter is that even when things seem impossible, Luke 1:37 reminds us of the truth that "nothing is impossible with God." Whether you are an old woman or an unmarried virgin, God can and will use you, if you let Him. Being out of God's will (as you may have read yesterday) is never helpful in your walk with Christ.

Another note, that really solidifies all that is embedded in why we follow Christ was that his birth fulfills prophecies that were stated and documented years and years before his birth. I read from Dave Guzik on Studylight.org who explains that when Gabriel spoke from God's presence about words being fulfilled in their time (section 4 subsection 2 c), he was referring to Jesus's birth and the surround prophecies that prove that Jesus is the messiah and not just a good teacher. Know that!

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